Here to stay
by AnnaliseRose
Summary: He's lost her too many times.He should have done something. He shouldve saved Eva. A casual demonslaying session turns awry, leading Trish to discover Dante's hidden fears, and the guilt he's lived with. A little fluffy but tried to focus mostly on guilt


"Come on, you can do better than that!"

Dante grinned joyfully as the demon took another shot at him, swinging its scythe like roots in his direction. It stood 15 feet tall; towering over the forest that it and its brothers had been terrorising. Although similar to a tree its heinous features were hard to miss: Its face, although seemingly made of wood bore cruel red eyes, its expression grotesquely evil. Across its chest and on its arms it wore a dull armour, and in its hands it held a long staff that expelled fire as it willed. Its roots and branches were long and tough, with each end forming a sharp, deadly scythe. There were twenty of them in total.

Dante leapt in the air, avoiding another of the deadly branches, pulled out his beloved Ebony & Ivory, and fired a stream of fast, accurate bullets whilst still in mid-air. He landed gracefully, pulled out Alastor and sliced the demon in half in one fast, clean sweep. _'One down, 19 to go,'_ he thought, as he skilfully avoided more attacks from the other demons.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw signs of very quick movement and a flash of lightning, followed by a loud _thud_. He chuckled to himself. _'Eighteen to go.'_

Her blonde hair tickled the side of his face as she landed next to him, firing Luce & Ombra at two of the demons simultaneously. She stabbed the Sparda right through one and continued her fire. _Seventeen._

"Hey ugly, come get me!" Dante taunted, jumping and kicking through a few branches in a row, causing them to break. He sliced through two more. _Fifteen._

"You're in a good mood today," she said, electrocuting another, narrowly missing a ball of fire. _Fourteen. _"Damn it, Dante. These guys are tough!"

Dante laughed. "Having a good fight once in a while keeps things interesting, don't you think?" He planted Pandora on the ground, shooting a few of them at a time. _Thirteen. Twelve. Eleven. Ten._

He turned to find Trish surrounded by branches, some had managed to cut through the leather and left marks on her ribs. He ran for the ones attacking her from behind, Alastor in hand, as she focused on the others surrounding her. _Five._

"You alright there babes?" He sliced through a couple more. Another of the towering demons came after him. Its branches swung for his head as it shot flames in his direction. She was right, they were tough.  
>"Mmm.. I..Fuck, they're poisonous!" she said, holding her head, looking down at her cuts, now dripping a few drops of green fluid. He could see her staggering. "They… make you…"her words were slurring as she managed to electrocute one last one.<p>

Dante finished off the one that had come for him and ran to Trish's side. She had slumped to one knee, though he could see her regaining strength, trying to get back on her feet. Her cuts had almost disappeared.

"Dante!"

With lightning-quick reflexes, she pushed him aside. He watched in horror as a branch penetrated her stomach with a sickening crunch. The demon flicked its branch, flinging her limp body past him. There was one more. How could he have lost count? One more. He gritted his teeth and lunged at the demon, Alastor in hand. All the demon's efforts at attacking him were deemed futile as he moved quickly and sliced it, rage burning dangerously in his eyes.

"D-Dan..te.."she called weakly, watching as he continued to attack the fallen beast, completely overcome by rage, mutilating what was left of its being.

He whipped his head around, pulled back to reality, and ran to her. "Trish.."he said, eyeing the gaping wound in her abdomen. The grass around her was soaked a deep, crimson red. Blood was splattered on the trees. His muscles tensed as he gripped the grass beneath him.

"H-hey there.. tough guy.. I-I'll..be.. fine.." she made a frail attempt at a laugh. The colour seemed to be fading from her cheeks. "Just.. so..sleepy.. fucking.. tranquilizer.. heal.. soon.." her eyelids closed gently.

Dante fumbled to feel for her carotids. She was definitely alive. He ripped a shred of cloth from his shirt and pressed it to her wound. She was starting to heal already, albeit slowly.

Silently, he thanked the stars for the demonic blood that coursed through his partner's veins.

****************************************************  
>Screams of agony filled the dark, quiet night.<p>

Her eyes shot open. _Dante?  
><em>She jumped out of bed, stumbling a little on her feet. A wave of dizziness hit her. She fumbled for something to hold on to. Millions of thoughts flooded her mind._ What happened? , _she thought.  
>The screaming continued. Disoriented, she forced herself into a run, searching for the source .<p>

She ran along the wooden panelled floor until she reached the site of maximum intensity, behind a heavy oak door. Dante's room. Panic began to fill her. Had someone come for him? Was her partner in trouble?

She flung the door open.

What greeted her was a sight that frightened her more than anything ever had, despite all the gruesome and ghastly things she'd seen in her lifetime. She had been to hell and back, battled the darkest, most dangerous creatures, yet nothing could have prepared her for this. She clung on to the doorframe as another wave of dizziness hit her.

Dante thrashed violently on his bed, his hands gripping his head tightly, his movements strong and convulsive. She heard him mutter something incoherently, worry and pain evident in his voice. Sweat glistened on his pale, exposed back. He let out another scream, pure anguish apparent in his deep voice. Trish scanned the room quickly. Was someone hurting him?

Not a single soul was in sight.

She ran to his bed and sat on the side, grabbing his shoulders in a desperate attempt to lay him still.

"Trish. No – Trish!"  
>Her eyes widened in confusion. "Dante. Dante! I'm here. Wake up," she said, shaking him.<p>

Dante's body jerked suddenly; followed by a total cease in movement. Trish pulled his head onto her lap and stroked his sweat-drenched hair. "Shh..Dante, I'm here.."

He looked up at her, breathing heavily, his eyes wide. She looked deep into those light grey eyes, pondering the secrets they held, wondering what he kept from her; wondering the cause of such pain. Finally, he sighed.

He wrapped his arms around her hips tightly. They stayed that way for a few moments. Trish felt his sweat on her bare legs. '_Bare?' _she thought curiously. She looked down at herself; she was dressed in one of Dante's shirts, which was big enough to cover her until slightly less than mid-thigh. One sleeve had slipped off her shoulder, exposing her porcelain skin. Around her neck she wore an amulet-Dante's amulet- the one he had given her on Mallet Island. She didn't recall ever changing into this attire. In fact, she couldn't recall much at all.

Dante sat upright, holding his head in his hand as he groaned. "How long have you been here Trish?"

"Not very long at all.. you.. were you having a bad dream, Dante? "

He paused for a few seconds, then nodded curtly. "mmm." He glanced at the clock on the wall. "While I'm glad you're finally awake, Trish, I'm sorry it had to be at this ungodly hour." He flashed her a small smile.

Trish deepened her brow in deep concentration as she tried to recall the events prior to this moment. Her mind was a blur. She thought harder. She remembered having a regular day , receiving a job offer, there was a password. She remembered racing Dante there. She remembered..  
><em>'Trees'<em> she thought. Her memories began to return to her. The fight, the pain, the extreme exhaustion.. and how the world became a deep darkness.

Dante placed his hand on her wrist and stared at the clock. He then proceeded to flash a light in her eyes, and placed the back of his hand on her forehead.

"Dante- I- Hey!" she grumbled, annoyed at this invasion of her personal space. She didn't take too kindly to having bright lights shone in her eyes, especially with her lingering dizziness.

"Pulse is normal, pupillary reflexes, direct and consensual , present, temperature seems fine.." He smiled. "Welcome back, babes!" He pulled her into a tight embrace.

She looked past him at the time. It was four in the morning.  
>"Must have been some pretty potent stuff," she said. "How long was I out for, twelve hours?"<p>

Dante pulled away and held her at arm's length, looking perplexed at her question. His eyes were soft, gentle, and warm, but she could see a deep pain behind the kindness. His mouth made small, slight movements, but no sound was formed.

She felt his grip on her arms tighten.

"You.. you were out for three weeks, Trish," he said softly.

* * *

><p>They sat by the fireplace, languishing in the warmth and atmosphere. After devouring three or four corned beef sandwiches, Trish felt tremendously better, sipping at her hot chocolate quietly, relishing its warmth between her hands. No one made hot chocolate like Dante did.<p>

She stole a glance in Dante's direction. His brow was deep and furrowed, his cloudy eyes focused on something deep in the fireplace. The fire cast dark shadows on his already pained face. She rarely saw this side of him. He had always been so warm and kind, when he wasn't being his playful self. She moved a little closer to him. He didn't seem to notice.

She reached out her hand and gently touched his face. Dante placed his hand over hers and kept it there, his stubble tickling her palms as he pressed his cheek to her. He inhaled deeply and shut his eyes tight.

"Dante.."she whispered. She looked over her shoulder to Dante's desk, to see the photo of a beautiful woman looking back at her, almost like a reflection; but that woman was serene, gentle, and warm. That woman would know what to do at a time like this. Despite her best efforts , Trish knew that warmth did not come as second nature to her. She felt awkward, clueless- and that photo was a constant reminder. She was Trish: tough, strong, witty, maybe a little short tempered- and she was proud of who she was; but at that moment she would have given all of that up just to have a fraction of Eva's warmth.

"Dante.."she tried again. "Dante.. what's wrong? I never knew a dream could bother you so much.."

Dante's eyes shot open. He watched her long and hard, thinking of how to phrase his sentences to her. He pulled her onto his lap and held her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with light.."he whispered.

Trish remained perfectly still. She didn't understand.  
>Dante held her even tighter as he said those words; those words he had said with such sincerity and remorse as he held her lifeless body on Mallet Island. Those words she never got to hear…until now.<p>

"I watched my mother die. I was eight,"he started. Trish stayed silent, still resting her chin on his broad shoulder. She gripped his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. She could never know what it was like to lose a mother, she never had one. She didn't know what it was like to be a child, without a care in the world, let alone what it was like to be a small and helpless child, watching his pillar of strength and guidance being stolen from him forever; but through the pain she heard in Dante's voice, she understood.

"I became.. empty.. after that. Nobody could fill the void. No one mattered. Even my brother.."

Trish nodded, he could feel it. She knew what had become of Vergil.

"And then I met you Trish, and you looked so much like her- I thought.. I thought I had to have been dreaming. And then- "

Trish shut her eyes tightly and frowned. And then? She had betrayed him. That's what happened. She had hurt him. She braced herself.

"And then I watched you ..I watched you die right in front of me. I watched her die again. And again, I couldn't do anything to stop it.. But you came back, didn't you. Thank God, you came back." He pulled her face to face him and cupped it in his hands, pressing his forehead to hers. The most gentle smile she had ever seen graced his lips.

"From that day you became a very important part of me, Trish. I swore I would do it right this time, that I would never lose you again. I had given you Sparda , Luce, & Ombra.. I knew my father would watch over you. And I gave you this.." He held up the amulet that hung around her neck. "..so my mother would watch you too. I found it in your pocket, I'm glad you still keep it with you." He smiled.

"But the other day.. I thought I lost you Trish. I thought you were never coming back. I-I- "

She watched, horrified, as he trembled at the thought. Her mouth was dry. She held his head to her shoulder once more. "Dante.. I'm right here. I'm right here..I'm not going anywhere." she whispered into his hair.

"Three weeks, Trish. Three weeks! I thought you'd never wake up. I thought I'd never..see you smile again…And it would've been my fault! I should have done something_. I should have done something_..it was all my fault.."

Trish pulled the hair back from his face and planted a kiss on the top of his head.

"You did do something, Dante. You brought me home. You nursed me to health.I am here Dante. I'm not going anywhere. Never again."

She looked up once more to the portrait of Eva, smiling down on her.

"None of this was your fault.." she whispered. " And you did the best that you could. For her. You continued to _live_. There was nothing else you could have done."

She felt his tears, warm and wet, as they hit her shoulder.

"Shh… I'm here.."

And there she stayed, with him in her arms, till the earliest beams of light touched the earth. There she watched him, as he was overcome by peaceful slumber. She looked up once more to the smiling portrait of Eva and smiled back. "Don't worry,"she whispered. "I'm doing my best."


End file.
